Advances in Intracellular and On‐Surface Polymerization in Living Cells: Implications for Nanobiomedicines

Abstract

The cellular environment offers some unique features to carry out polymerizations under controlled conditions. Polymerization of monomers in cellular compartments and on the surface of living organisms holds much promise in the engineering of biofunctional synthetic polymers for sensing and probing cell behavior and of late has received significant interest. This effort lies at the interface of synthetic biology and polymer chemistry and can pave the way for innovative solutions to many existing challenges in healthcare, environment, energy, and the study of the “origin of life”. Herein, recent advances in controlled polymerization strategies for intracellular and surface of living cells are presented with a particular emphasis on nanobiomedicines. Furthermore, polymerization strategies, cytocompatible monomer structures, compatible cell lines and microorganisms, nature of stimulus, catalysts, along with specific polymerization conditions to produce non‐natural biofunctional polymers that can undergo polymerization‐induced self‐assembly within and onto the living cells are presented in detail. Furthermore, the review offers a window into the future of such novel emerging synthetic bionano systems in biomedical sciences.

Keywords

• cell surfaces
• controlled polymerization
• intracellular environments
• living cells and microorganisms
• non-natural polymers